He didn’t remember clicking a link. He wasn't even in any active Telegram groups. But there it was, 14.2 MB of data that had bypassed his filters and nestled into his "Downloads" folder.

Elias froze. The man in the video was wearing the same frayed hoodie Elias had on right now.

The sound didn't come from his phone speakers. It came from the window behind him.

The video played one last second. The gloved hand didn't pull away from the window; it reached through it, the pixels of the glass rippling like water.